How Josep Bartomeu planned to register Lionel Messi
The former president's people revealed his plan to keep Messi at the club
After months of silence, Josep Maria Bartomeu spoke on Friday with an open letter to president Joan Laporta. Sources close to Bartomeu told Sport how the former president would have managed the Lionel Messi contract situation.
Bartomeu is convinced he would have kept Messi at the club thankks to two reasons. A unilateral lowering of the players’ salaries and the sale with an option to rebuy of Barca Corporate. Both things, his people estimate, would have raised 310 million euros, to allow them to register the new players and Messi too.
In the first place they would have given the squad a 20 per cent pay cut, without negotiations. The same company regulation formula was used last spring with a 12 per cent cut. That could have saved 90 million.
Then the sale of Barca Corporate is estimated to bring in 220 m euros.
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